Yu Darvish: Grading Pitcher's First 3 Starts for Texas Rangers

Yu Darvish's record remains unblemished as a MLB starter, and the Texas Rangers hitters helped to push his career record to 2-0 after a 10-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers Thursday night at Comerica Park.

After only three starts, it's been a bag of mixed results from the former Japanese ace, who has flashed signs of dominance with his secondary pitches but allowed almost as many walks (13) as he has strikeouts (14).

That being said, it's far too early to make any kind of long-term designation based on three games. However, Darvish has shown enough to grade his first three starts in Texas, giving analysts like me a chance to reflect on an exciting young talent as he makes a name for himself in the major leagues.

Here's a look at his game-by-game results, and what to watch for in the coming weeks as he progresses with the Rangers.

Game 1: Vs. Seattle Mariners, April 9, 2012

The line:

W (1-0), 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 110 pitches

In his first major league start, things didn't go well early on. The Mariners drew three walks and saw Darvish throw a wild pitch in the first inning, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. They tacked another on in the second inning when Kyle Seager took a fastball for a double that plated Ichiro Suzuki.

But Darvish fought back, and didn't allow another run for the duration of the outing. His command, though shaky at times, was good enough to get him into the sixth inning. But after a Dustin Ackley walk and Ichiro single, Ron Washington had seen enough, ending Darvish's first start.

The Rangers also gave him 11 runs to work with, and after Texas was able to tie the score at five after the third inning, Darvish pitched consecutive three-up, three-down innings in the fourth and fifth.

The Mariners aren't exactly the end-all be-all team for hitting in the American League, so most fans and coaches alike will chalk this first outing up to being nervous and pitching for the first time. We did see that Darvish has exceptional secondary pitches, and that he is going to have to utilize them more in non-traditional counts due to the fastball-hitting ability of MLB players.

Game 2: Vs. Minnesota Twins, April 14, 2012

The line:

ND, 5.2 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 102 pitches

In his second start, Darvish rebounded nicely in working both sides of the plate, leaving less out for the Twins hitters to work with. However, he was still wild at times, walking four more batters and getting lucky by turning a blocked Mike Napoli ball into an out at home plate.

If you didn't see it in the first start, Darvish also displayed a calm, cool demeanor that allowed him to work out of two bases-loaded jams in the second and sixth innings (Alexi Ogando shut the door with two outs in the sixth).

The control issue persists, though, and until he can go a game doubling his strikeout-to-walk ratio, it will be a topic of conversation. In this second big league start, you saw the guy battle with men on base, and he kept the damage at two runs though he had guys on base most of the outing.

Game 3: Vs. Detroit Tigers, April 19, 2012

The line:

W (2-0), 6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 121 pitches

Darvish responded to his toughest test of the season so far with his best performance, allowing only two hits over six innings and change. He kept the Tigers hitters guessing all day, and made it through the most demanding part of the lineup (Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Delmon Young) 3-for-10 with 2 BB and 0 RBI.

Once again, however, the pesky walks hurt him in key moments. They kept him from continuing the outing further, driving up his pitch count and forcing him to retire Jhonny Peralta on a nasty 3-2 pitch with two men on and a four-run lead before Washington decided 121 pitches was enough.

He battled through command issues again, and showed toughness on the road against a Tigers team that many project to be the cream of the American League.

It was another positive step in the right direction for his future prospects, but five walks to a team in the playoffs is most likely going to result in a loss, especially considering the 19 hits the Rangers put up in support of their new Japanese teammate.

The Grade: B-

Season Stats:

(2-0), 17.2 IP, 19 H, 7 ER, 13 BB, 14 K

The early season Jekyll and Hyde act should prompt fans to wonder if Darvish has found the Scottish novella in a Walmart bin and become a fan. He shows flashes of brilliance from inning to inning, but walks and poor command of his fastball have left us to wonder how to interpret his consistency level going forward.

However, as I prefaced in the title slide, it's only been three games. While the walks are alarming, the record speaks for itself, and Darvish could easily have three losses with the way he's given free passes early on. But he's also battled like a seasoned veteran, limiting the damage and knowing how to pitch with runners on base.

He's not by any means done making adjustments to big league hitters, the size of the ball, pitching on four days rest instead of five or the Texas heat. But if you asked Nolan Ryan if he'd take an undefeated record when Darvish is on the mound through the first three starts, I guarantee you he'd say yes.

While his performance in the first two games likely was more of a C-to-C-plus effort, this start against a very good Detroit Tigers squad pushes him up into the B range with much more room to grow and improve.

Looking Ahead

The Positives So Far

Plus-life on fastball (93-96 MPH)

Battles with runners on base

Secondary pitches are well above average

The Negatives So Far

Fastball Command

Struggles pitching in the wind-up (walks)

Walks killing his ability to pitch deep in games

Games to Look Forward To

vs. New York Yankees, next Tuesday: Darvish faces the Bronx bombers for the first time at home in the Texas night air.

@ Toronto Blue Jays, April 30: Toronto gets a look at Darvish after losing in the bidding sweepstakes.

vs. Los Angeles Angels, May 11: The first matchup between the AL West rival Halos and their two new additions, C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols.